Microalgae-based treatment of produced water: A comparison between synthetic and a representative real produced water
This work evaluates the potential of microalgae Scenedesmus obliquus to treat different synthetic and real PW of different compositions. Four different synthetic PW (SPWs) were formulated using crude oil, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and xanthan gum. It was found that S. obliquus could grow in all...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-09-01
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| Series: | Results in Engineering |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S259012302502746X |
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| author | Hussain Ali Al Subaie Nur Farahah Khairuddin Muhammad Nawaz Tahir Muslim Aqeel Alhaddad Mohammed Omar Faruque Shaikh Abdur Razzak Basheer Chanbasha Ahsan Mushir Shamsi Muhammad Shahzad Kamal Wasif Farooq |
| author_facet | Hussain Ali Al Subaie Nur Farahah Khairuddin Muhammad Nawaz Tahir Muslim Aqeel Alhaddad Mohammed Omar Faruque Shaikh Abdur Razzak Basheer Chanbasha Ahsan Mushir Shamsi Muhammad Shahzad Kamal Wasif Farooq |
| author_sort | Hussain Ali Al Subaie |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This work evaluates the potential of microalgae Scenedesmus obliquus to treat different synthetic and real PW of different compositions. Four different synthetic PW (SPWs) were formulated using crude oil, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and xanthan gum. It was found that S. obliquus could grow in all SPW with low and high salinity tested in this study. The presence of crude oil in synthetic PW hinders the algae's growth. No growth was observed in 100 % real-produced water (RPW) despite supplementation with essential growth nutrients. However, the algae cells could grow in 50 % diluted RPW, supplemented with nutrients. However, the growth of algae in 50 % v/v diluted RPW was the lowest compared to all SPW, despite having the same nutrients and salinity level. These results indicate that the presence of hydrocarbons from crude oil poses a major challenge to algae-based decontamination. Total organic carbon levels increased in all samples during growth, and nitrogen consumption was positively correlated with the algal growth rate. Barium (Ba) and Copper (Cu) metals were removed from RPW during S. obliquus cultivation. Some of the hydrocarbons present in 50 % diluted RPW were removed during cultivation. These findings suggest that the lack of essential nutrients, the complex nature of organics, and the high salinity of RPW limit the potential of microalgae as a bioremediation agent for a real RPW. These findings suggest the RPW is very heterogeneous, and any synthetic or simulated PW, even if prepared using individual major constituents of PW, cannot represent the real PW across the field for bioremediation using microalgae. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9f0db0bbfa13435794a4549cc04fe113 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2590-1230 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-09-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Results in Engineering |
| spelling | doaj-art-9f0db0bbfa13435794a4549cc04fe1132025-08-20T03:36:49ZengElsevierResults in Engineering2590-12302025-09-012710667910.1016/j.rineng.2025.106679Microalgae-based treatment of produced water: A comparison between synthetic and a representative real produced waterHussain Ali Al Subaie0Nur Farahah Khairuddin1Muhammad Nawaz Tahir2Muslim Aqeel Alhaddad3Mohammed Omar Faruque4Shaikh Abdur Razzak5Basheer Chanbasha6Ahsan Mushir Shamsi7Muhammad Shahzad Kamal8Wasif Farooq9Department of Chemical Engineering, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, 31261, Dhahran, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, MalaysiaDepartment of Chemistry, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, 31261, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; Interdisciplinary Research Center for Hydrogen Technologies and Carbon Management (IRC-HTCM), King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, 31261, Dhahran, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Chemical Engineering, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, 31261, Dhahran, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Chemical Engineering, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, 31261, Dhahran, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Chemical Engineering, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, 31261, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; Interdisciplinary Research Center for Membrane and Water Security (IRC-MWS), King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, 31261, Dhahran, Saudi ArabiaInterdisciplinary Research Center for Membrane and Water Security (IRC-MWS), King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, 31261, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; Department of Chemistry, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, 31261, Dhahran, Saudi ArabiaApplied Research Centre for Environment and Marine Studies, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi ArabiaCenter for Integrative Petroleum Research, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Chemical Engineering, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, 31261, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; Interdisciplinary Research Center for Membrane and Water Security (IRC-MWS), King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, 31261, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; Corresponding author.This work evaluates the potential of microalgae Scenedesmus obliquus to treat different synthetic and real PW of different compositions. Four different synthetic PW (SPWs) were formulated using crude oil, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and xanthan gum. It was found that S. obliquus could grow in all SPW with low and high salinity tested in this study. The presence of crude oil in synthetic PW hinders the algae's growth. No growth was observed in 100 % real-produced water (RPW) despite supplementation with essential growth nutrients. However, the algae cells could grow in 50 % diluted RPW, supplemented with nutrients. However, the growth of algae in 50 % v/v diluted RPW was the lowest compared to all SPW, despite having the same nutrients and salinity level. These results indicate that the presence of hydrocarbons from crude oil poses a major challenge to algae-based decontamination. Total organic carbon levels increased in all samples during growth, and nitrogen consumption was positively correlated with the algal growth rate. Barium (Ba) and Copper (Cu) metals were removed from RPW during S. obliquus cultivation. Some of the hydrocarbons present in 50 % diluted RPW were removed during cultivation. These findings suggest that the lack of essential nutrients, the complex nature of organics, and the high salinity of RPW limit the potential of microalgae as a bioremediation agent for a real RPW. These findings suggest the RPW is very heterogeneous, and any synthetic or simulated PW, even if prepared using individual major constituents of PW, cannot represent the real PW across the field for bioremediation using microalgae.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S259012302502746XMicroalgaeScenedesmus obliquusProduced WaterSustainable TreatmentHydrocarbon |
| spellingShingle | Hussain Ali Al Subaie Nur Farahah Khairuddin Muhammad Nawaz Tahir Muslim Aqeel Alhaddad Mohammed Omar Faruque Shaikh Abdur Razzak Basheer Chanbasha Ahsan Mushir Shamsi Muhammad Shahzad Kamal Wasif Farooq Microalgae-based treatment of produced water: A comparison between synthetic and a representative real produced water Results in Engineering Microalgae Scenedesmus obliquus Produced Water Sustainable Treatment Hydrocarbon |
| title | Microalgae-based treatment of produced water: A comparison between synthetic and a representative real produced water |
| title_full | Microalgae-based treatment of produced water: A comparison between synthetic and a representative real produced water |
| title_fullStr | Microalgae-based treatment of produced water: A comparison between synthetic and a representative real produced water |
| title_full_unstemmed | Microalgae-based treatment of produced water: A comparison between synthetic and a representative real produced water |
| title_short | Microalgae-based treatment of produced water: A comparison between synthetic and a representative real produced water |
| title_sort | microalgae based treatment of produced water a comparison between synthetic and a representative real produced water |
| topic | Microalgae Scenedesmus obliquus Produced Water Sustainable Treatment Hydrocarbon |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S259012302502746X |
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